is corn as main ingredient good for chickens?

[CARS]

I am wondering if I should jump back in this conversation

I was thinking about the original post while reading through dental care and pigs that absorb something or another. When I buy my bulk feed a 1/2 ton at a time in summer for my meat birds (Cornish X's, extra roos, quail, turkeys.... heck. I feed them all 22% in summer to keep it easy on me.) I get a slip with the delivery. I buy 750 pounds of cracked corn from the feed mill's bin, they blend in 250 pounds of "protein mix".

I know the corn is RR corn from the area. Heck, might even be the same corn field my kids are hiding in to get out of chores. But in all honesty, I can't tell you what (insert feed company's name here) has in that "protein mix". All I know is I own 3 acres and can't grow enough of anything to make "safe" feed.

BTW, I just had a dental check up and everything is ok. No fluoride either unless that is what they use in my soda pop, beer, bottled water, milk, soup, etc.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
Barry:

The problem is not that pigs can not digest Phosphoruous, it is that the phosphorus found in grain is bound in a complex molecule called Phytin. The alpha and beta linkages between the Phosphate molecule and the carbon atoms are quite stong and pigs do not have the enzyme complexes to break the bonds. The address this we use an enzyme called Phytase which breaks the bonds and allow the Phosphate to be digested by the pig. As a result we use less inorganic phosphorsu, reduce the amount of phosphorous in the manure, and reduce the liklihood of phosphorous contamination in waterways.

YOU and your DAUGHTER already consume phosphates every single day. If you consume Soda/Pop you consume more than you need and excrete more Phosphate into the environment than a pig does.

This artcle is just another illustration of sensationalism in the media.

Jim

 

[spartacus_63]

ON

I am not so sure on the antibiotics.. It is my opinion mother nature is vastly "smarter" than the actions of human nature... In the end she always wins..
Though I totally disagree with your perspective....

I'm not so sure our perspectives are all that far apart. I am not an advocate of antibiotics for growth and I do not personally grow GMOs. I do understand that there is a place for them in the market and if your profession is to grow produce and you want to compete, you at least need to explore the possibilities. I too believe that Mother nature has a great working process. Unfortunately, the primary residents are not all that agreeable to that process. Our two legged friends want "organic" food that they can cook in the microwave...and they want it cheap. Ma' Nature is smarter than us and what ever we screw up she usually sets straight again. I also feel there is room for improvement especially when it can be done in a controlled manor.

Poor Monsanto...They are the Wal*Mart of the seed companies. Techniques that would earn Nobel Peace Prize acclaim in medicine are degraded and labeled monstrous in the food production market.​

 

[mason123h]

I am 13, and new to the chicken business as well, and I have just been tossing a little scratch into their pens for a little treat. I also use scratch to augment the expensive layers mash.

 

[spartacus_63]

Quote:

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
Yes welcome to BYC! A great site with a wealth of information... ...

Be careful with using the scratch to augment the layer... Scratch is low protein the expensive layer mix is designed to give the birds everything they need, for maximum performance... Scratch essentially "waters it down". Some is fine but do not over do it... IMO reduced performance in the birds is more costly in the long run.

spartacus_63,
I here what you are saying...

Ah yes Walmart.. (Don't get me going, on how they put all the mom and pop shops out of buisness....

.....

)))

Jim, thanks for the great explanation on phosphorus...
(Good thing no one in our house drinks soda pop...... A nice refreshing water kefir.. is a great source of probiotics and a little fizz..

)

ON

 

[BitsyB]

I know this is off from the original question (that's why they call it a thread?), but since we've been discussing big agribusiness and GMO's, thought I'd share this I got from the person I buy my local foods from:

"The Food Safety Modernization Act that we've been following, signed by President Obama yesterday, was a real success for small farms as it included several amendments exempting small, direct selling farms from the burden of an all encompassing regulatory system. While researching this bill I came across several examples of why it is so important that we do what we can to keep our local farmers and farms thriving. Otherwise, our food supply will be in the hands of big agribusiness that see food as a commodity rather that the organic thing that it is. Thanks for all your support as we strive towards a more fair food system."

Yay for small farms and farmers!

 

[Amyable]

Hey ON!

We always end up on these threads, don't we.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that even with scientific backing, good intentions often go awry. Thalidomide and Vioxx come immediately to mind. Tested and touted as safe, then we come to find out otherwise. When scientists discovered nutrients, they thought they had reached the pinnacle of nutritional knowledge; then we found vitamins; then it was amino acids; and so on and so forth. We often toot our horns about how much we know, and then discover something that shows us just how much we don't know.

Sooooo, sure, feed chickens corn. And lots and lots of other things too. Just feed the best you can afford, free-range if you can, and love your birds.

 

[sean_danny]

hello.
i live in france and here they only feed corn. should i try to find something else to feed my girls? i mix into the corn something called pondeuse. it is for egg layers. lots of my neighbors think i waste money by buying it as they just buy sacks of crushed oyster shells. (half the price) they also always ask why i buy the cracked corn too as they get the whole. one woman told me the cracked was just for the young ones. in the shops they sell wheat and a few other individual grains. but i have never bought these. as well, they do have liquids you can add to the water but i was not sure what they were so i avoided using them. any suggestions? all the girls are healthy and i currently have three which are laying over the winter. one is a limousin, and the other two are sussex. of the other three hens, one is a mante: she has earmuffs and a beard, while the other two are mixed who knows what: one normal sized and brown the other tiny. she seems to be part bantam.

again, i would love any helpful info.

thanks, jean.

 

[myllil]

Showing my ignorance here, but what is wrong with corn in both the human and chicken diet? Too much sugar? Wasteful farming practices? I strive to be more informed. thank you